Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms Book 2) Page 10

  Knox sat tall on the largest warhorse, watching the keep nestled up against the high cliff walls surrounding it. It wasn’t a strategic location in the least bit. It was a bold statement, indicating that the witches living there feared nothing and no one.

  Lifting my eyes to the startling blue, clear sky, I closed them, silently praying to Hecate that I made it through this fight without ending up in Knox’s bed by nightfall. As much as my body wanted him to punish it, soothing the dark lust and desire he created, I wasn’t ready for that to happen. I’d barely slipped out of the sanctuary before Knox could find it since the crystals’ power had diminished. Luckily, my sisters and aunt had left soon after, placing the protection wards, leaving Dimitri there alone to guard me in the event I was disturbed.

  Knox, though, he’d been relentless in his need to reach and claim me. It was becoming impossible to remain ahead of him. Knox didn’t need rest, nor did he tire of pursuing me, as if the chase exhilarated and renewed his energy. The stones upon the ground trembled as the war party entered the valley, closing the distance between us.

  I stood in a sea of witches I had recently gathered and turned, silently observing the approaching warriors. All of us wore white silk cloaks splattered in blood, adorned with a red Hecate insignia stitched on the hood and back. Knox approached the barrier that protected us, and I smirked, watching as he swiftly dismounted and strode toward it with purpose. A moment before he would have walked through the warded shield, he paused. My breath caught in my throat as he swung his gaze directly to where I stood, concealed under the hood of my cloak.

  My chest tightened, and my heart sped up, clenching with anticipation and need, thundering against my ribs, threatening to give me away. Heat slid through me, pooling in my stomach as Knox’s pretty blue eyes lifted to the silent keep behind me. I’d fought the relentless heat and need, my body becoming a solid ache that never eased. My hands balled into tight fists as I closed my eyes, slowly exhaling to calm the army of butterflies assaulting my insides.

  A handful of witches that examined the barrier joined Knox, shaking their heads at whatever he’d just said. Angry eyes slid through our ranks as he turned to speak to Brander. One witch grabbed his gloved hand, flirting shamelessly with him. She was brazen and uncaring of the eyes watching them together. Knox didn’t acknowledge her touch, not at first. The dark-haired witch’s hand touched his chest plate, and his hand lifted, holding hers to his armor.

  Anger sliced through me without warning. My blood pounded in my ears, while magic grew dangerous and sharp through the air between us. Knox’s eyes slid back through our numbers, slowly narrowing, searching for me. Had he felt my anger?

  My heart thundered with unease. I forced the anger down, willing myself to calm, knowing that overthinking things was my super-power. Being alone in a strange world, you learned a lot about yourself. Mostly, you learned your flaws and strengths in the worst ways imaginable, usually figuring it out at the most inopportune times possible.

  Knox continued touching the witch beside him as my power rushed to the forefront, driven by jealousy that shouldn’t even exist. Slowly, I released it and exhaled, calming my reaction to them. The man was infuriating. He confused me, and yet every part of my body heated for him. This wasn’t the first time the sight of Knox with another woman had made me a little unhinged.

  My creature perked up, noting his presence. Her attention focused on the hand touching Knox, and I fought against the rattle that threatened to explode from my chest. Closing my eyes to prevent her from going bat-shit-crazy, I shoved the noise she wanted us to make in warning, down. Managing her was hard enough without Knox nearby. We wanted to murder in him in one breath and ride him like a pony in the next. It was part of my bipolar sparkling personality I was cursed to bear.

  “Not cursed, blessed! Knox was blessed with a nice cock and the skill to wield it perfectly!” my creature crooned. “Remember the cobwebs and spiders? We don’t want that, do we?”

  “Cursed! You are random as fuck, Creature. We also talked about spiders and the fact that we never talk about spiders, remember?”

  “He touches her again; we eat her face! He only touches us! He is ours.”

  “Quiet, Creature. Knox doesn’t know we’re here yet. Let’s keep it that way.”

  “I am hungry and horny, and he is right there. He fucks good. We need a good fuck, Aria. Let’s fuck him and then eat him! It’s a win, Aria. Feed me his dick!” She was excited, vivaciously so, at the idea of being so close to that arrogant prick. She did not understand how toxic he was or how deadly he could be.

  “He also wants our head, which he’d probably take while he fucked us. He doesn’t need our head attached to our body to use us. Remember? It’s a perfect head, Creature! We like our head, and we need it to keep breathing. Therefore, Knox is bad, very bad for our health and life expectancy.”

  “He’s done bad things to our body that felt good, but he’s not always smart. We will rock his cock, and he will want to keep our head so we can breathe. Then we can ride that glorious cock whenever we want. He’s so dreamy, and I want to feel his cock pulsing within us… please, Aria? Just one quick rut, then you can fight him!” she sighed, and I cringed inwardly, which only made her laugh.

  “That doesn’t even make sense. ‘He did bad things, so let’s fuck him?’ Who thought like that? It’s a wonder we’re even still alive, Creature.” I rolled my eyes, and she snorted from within as if I were slow in the head, which infuriated me. “Now, stop thinking about our vagina because this is a serious situation!” She snickered inside my head, and I groaned at the sound.

  We’d been at odds for the last couple of weeks. She’d eaten a few of the dark witches we’d come across, and of course, she left me standing holding the dead body part the moment she’d had her fill of their corpses. She’d taken partial control of my body, tripping me repeatedly, trying to get us captured as we ran from Knox. She and I were at war over the need consuming us, and eventually, it was going to end badly for me. She’d be sated, but I’d be his prisoner, which my creature wouldn’t mind in the least if it meant a daily diet of Knox.

  “He’s approaching, and we don’t want him alerted that we’re here yet. Do try to behave, and I’ll promise to let you out to play soon.”

  “To fuck Knox? I am so horny, and you haven’t used our vagina correctly. You might as well have sewn it shut!”

  “It’s our vagina. It’s a shared space, remember? I’m not fucking random cock because you want to… what did you call it?”

  “Paint our vagina!”

  “Right. Paint our vagina. Again, who thinks like that?”

  “We need his scent. He smells so good. Can you smell him? Knox is alpha to his core, which means he needs to be in our vagina. Put him there, or I will find a way to fall onto his dick.”

  “Are you seriously threatening to get me fucked right now? I’m about to face off with Knox, his army, and a castle full of witches behind us. Can you, I don’t know, maybe not worry about getting fucked or painting our pussy right now? Our unused vagina is literally the least of our issues at the moment, Creature.”

  “Fine, but soon. We are in season, and you run too fast. He’s not smart, you know. Maybe trip and let him land in our vagina. Then he will think he caught us, and mmm, I will be happy. You need dick too. You’re as frustrated as I am, but you can’t admit it because you have issues, major issues. It’s easy. Slip, slide down his dick, and then we eat him. It’s a plan!”

  “That isn’t a plan. It’s a recipe for disaster. Stop distracting me. He’s approaching.”

  “Quick, slip…”

  “Enough! You do understand that he doesn’t intend to give us head. He plans to have it removed, placing it next to my cold-hearted bitch of a mother’s, playing with it while he holds court.”

  “As if he would. He enjoyed his cock in our mouth. You should have seen his eyes rolling to the back of his skull when I swallowed him. We gave good head, and he knows it.
He’s very large and stupid. Easy fuck, easy snack, and then we can go back to frolicking in the forest, rubbing our devil’s doorbell to your heart’s desire.”

  “You’re not going to drop this, are you?”

  “Either feed me, or get me fucked, and I’ll behave. I’m horny and hungry, and you’re a stubborn human.”

  “I’ll feed you then. Just shut up for now. I have to control an army, and to do that, you need to behave so I won’t fail and end up dead, unable to fuck or feed on anyone.”

  “Present your lord or lady, now,” Knox growled, pacing outside the barrier. His angry eyes slanted as he paused, once more settling his attention on my general location within the witches.

  I stepped forward with five witches. Each moved to stand beside me while I stood directly in front of Knox. He watched us silently and then snorted when we didn’t remove our hoods. Once we mirrored him and his men’s stances, he spoke again.

  “Here are my terms. I want your lord or lady on her knees before me. I want the barrier to drop. Your lives will be forfeited while he or she watches you slaughtered by my army. Make me wait until the magic in the barrier fails, and I will torture every fucking one of you for days before your ultimate death.”

  Ouch! Harsh, Knox!

  Did he seriously think that would be met with a resounding, yeah, sure, sounds great?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Knox let his eyes slide between us before snorting. “I’ll know your answer now, you murderous whores. Your barrier has already weakened. The magic you wield is continually draining, unable to maintain its strength. Did you honestly believe it protected you from me?”

  “Yes,” the entire field of witches replied as one.

  Knox’s gaze slid through the assembly of witches with unease. “Barrier spells need souls for one to be erected. Tell me how many innocent lives you took to create this one.”

  “Zero,” my army of witches stated in unison, laughing at his thinning glare. “Your terms were heard, and rejected, King Karnavious. Please leave, or you will regret it greatly.”

  “I’m not leaving here until I have your mistress or master on their knees, and your heads removed to build my walls, evil bitches.” Knox snarled, and his army replied with cheers of agreement.

  The large firebirds he’d brought with him screeched above the army, flapping their wings. It created an echo in the barrier, and I shivered as magic slithered through the barrier’s shield. Knox turned, nodding to the giants pulling the heavy trebuchet to the front of the line. Once in place, they loaded a boulder onto it, immediately firing it in our direction. It sailed through the air with a whistle, shattering against the shield. I smirked, watching as Knox and his witches shook their heads, disbelieving the shield was still in place.

  “If your lord or lady is present, why have they not shown themselves?” he asked, placing his hands on his sword’s hilt. “Are they afraid to face me?”

  “She is here. Would you like to see her?” we all asked at once. Knox sneered, placing his hands on his hips as if he wasn’t worried about anything.

  “Indeed,” he sneered, and I laughed at his irritation, causing the entire assembly of witches to follow my lead. “Present the murderous whore of the keep. I’ve grown impatient.”

  “Knox, you’re very naughty, aren’t you?” I stepped closer, and the witches beside me stepped back in synchronized movements. “You’ve been a bad, bad boy,” I laughed huskily.

  Pushing the hood back, I allowed the cloak to slide from my shoulders, revealing my scantily clothed form to his hungry gaze. I’d taken a swath of sheer fabric and created a skirt that hung to my bare feet. The top from two cuts of the same fabric, draped over my shoulders, cinched around my waist to expose the sides of my breasts. My hair was in an intricate updo, secured by silver chains that hung down my naked back.

  Knox removed his helmet, glaring at me, but the hunger in his eyes was a burning fire that turned to lust. He slid his smoldering gaze over my body, noting that I’d lost weight, and obviously was short on fabric since it hardly covered me. The chains encircled my arms and waist, hung down my spine. His mouth tightened into a thin, white line, and the vein on his forehead pulsed with anger.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Aria?”

  “I heard they had a massive BOGO sale on sage here, so I came to check it out. It turns out it was a buy two, get the third one free sale, offering shit sage you could get from the Dollar Store. You?”

  “I’m here to slaughter witches. You’re in my fucking way, little girl.”

  “Oh, awkward,” I chuckled, and the witches echoed the sound, causing him to frown as he surveyed the witches behind me. “Right? He’s a funny boy, isn’t he, ladies?”

  “Cut the shit, now. This isn’t a fucking game. Drop the barrier, and I’ll go easy on you for the first few times, Aria. Make me wait until it falls, and I’ll show you how much I’ve missed you as I violently savage your greedy cunt.”

  “Aww, you missed me?” I asked in a saccharine tone, running my finger over the barrier, smiling as he watched its path.

  “I’ve missed you beneath me, woman.” He stepped closer, smiling darkly as his eyes turned to liquid pools of desire. “Let me show you how much I’ve missed you.”

  His presence reminded me of how he felt pressed against me, and my core clenched while I chewed my bottom lip. His tongue snaked out, running over his lips, and I recalled how it felt against my clit, battering against it, sucking the swollen flesh into his heated mouth. He’d made my body into a twisting, heated mess of orgasms as he’d moaned with the taste of me painting his tongue. I swallowed hard, jerking my eyes away from his in surrender.

  My arms lifted, forcing the witches behind me to do the same. I leaned against the barrier, studying him. “Knox, don’t threaten me with a good time, or promises you might not be able to keep.”

  “Drop the barrier, and I’ll have you screaming for me, Little Monster. Your body requires mine to get off, which means you’ve neglected your needs. I want to get you off.”

  My eyes grew hooded, and my body heated as every word he uttered seemed to slither through my sex, running over my clit in perfect rhythm. I slowly licked my lips, staring at his full mouth, remembering the feel of his tongue between my thighs, stroking me to orgasm after earth-shattering orgasm. I moaned, trembling, then shook my head to dispel the sound of my breathing and heartbeat, drowning out everything else around me.

  “What is wrong with you, woman?” he demanded, noting how I shivered, rocking my body seductively without the control to stop myself.

  I could smell his scent through the barrier, which wasn’t supposed to happen. I’d erected it, intending to ignore his seductive aroma that was the bane of my existence. According to Aurora, I was fighting a losing battle to the creature within, and I felt it acutely every time I was near Knox. His eyes searched mine, thinning, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled my scent.

  “You run too slowly, Knox,” I croaked, losing my hold on the barrier momentarily, allowing him to catch my scent. His eyes slipped to midnight onyx with embers burning within their depths as his creature peered out from his host.

  “Your time is up,” he laughed soundlessly. “You’re fully in heat, Little Witch. Tell me, how badly do you ache for me right now?”

  “It’s irrelevant, Knox. It changes nothing.”

  “It’s changed everything, Aria. I am no longer the only thing hunting you down. Your body has declared that you’re in season, and your womb is begging to be filled. You’re not escaping me anymore. You can’t run much longer in your current state. Now, bring down the fucking barrier so I can destroy the witches and fix that issue you’re having.”

  “This is sort of an awkward subject to have, surrounded by our armies,” I swallowed, closing my eyes, leaning my head against the barrier, and moaning at the heat rolling through me.

  “I’m not fucking asking anymore,” Knox snapped harshly, his eyes slowly returning to a vivid blue
, showing he’d contained his beast, which was more than I could say about mine.

  Of course, my body would pick now to have an episode. That’s what I’d started calling the momentary events where my body buckled, and my hand slid between my thighs, fighting the pain that ached there. My creature thought it was hilarious when it happened, singing about me stroking the devil’s doorbell. It was something I couldn’t prevent, and it tended to happen only when I caught his scent while hunting him.

  What else could go wrong?

  “I’ve actually started laying siege to the keep already. Arrows are about to be released on me from the lady inside. So, be a good boy and wait here for a moment, please, and thank you. I have something to do real fast.”

  I stepped back as the witches removed their cloaks, revealing their bodies’ decomposed state. Knox’s eyes widened as he looked over my shoulder, his mouth opening and closing. I laughed, enjoying the horror playing out on his and his men’s faces at the morbid scene before him, grimacing as the dead witches laughed along with me.

  Knox watched my undead army opening their decaying mouths, ready to echo my words. Lifting my arms, I swayed my hips, knowing all the decomposing bodies around me mimicked my movements as I danced for him.

  “Aren’t we so pretty, Knox?” We all spoke together, the magic growing as I rolled my head on my shoulders, causing them to do the same. “How about an undead orgy? You down?” I laughed mirthlessly, noting his eyes lowered to my midriff with naked hunger.

  “What the fuck did you do, Aria?” he demanded the moment he regained focus, pulling his attention from my skin.

  “I rattled their world. Your turn will come soon enough. Are you ready for me? I told you I’d handle my house. Can you say the same about yours? Mine isn’t the only one dirty in the Nine Realms, now, is it? Your house has enjoyed using us, deflowering us, and then keeping us as pets. Isn’t that right?” My gaze slid to the witches within his army, then back to him, anger burning in his gaze.